Press Releases

NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue today celebrated another successful season at New York City’s eight beaches and 53 pools this summer. Beach and pool workers oversaw more than 8 million visitors this summer — over 7.4 million at the city’s public beaches and more than 1 million at outdoor pools — thanks to the administration’s efforts to increase lifeguard recruitment. Additionally, NYC Parks reopened two popular pools after major reconstruction projects and launched new water safety initiatives.

“Keeping New Yorkers safe is our administration’s top priority — whether that’s on our streets, in our subways, on our beaches, or at our pools,” said Mayor Eric Adams. “Thanks to our lifeguards, PEP officers, EMTs, and other public safety workers, we made sure that New Yorkers could beat the heat safely this summer. We can’t wait till next summer, where the billion dollars we’re investing in pool infrastructure and the changes we secured to bring more lifeguards on deck will help us expand our safe swimming offerings even further.”

“As dangerously hot weather becomes more commonplace in New York, it’s more important than ever to ensure the infrastructure that brings us summer joy also delivers safety,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. “From recruiting more lifeguards and innovating how we patrol our beaches to committing a billion dollars to our pool infrastructure over the next five years and securing $46 million from New York State for pools, this was a banner year for fun in the sun. Our deep thanks to the men and women in red who woke up early and stayed sharp day after day to protect New Yorkers as they kept cool.”

“Our public pools and beaches are an essential part of summertime in New York City and have become more critical than ever in providing relief from the heat as climate change brings us ever-increasing temperatures,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Donoghue. “I’m so proud of the hundreds of Parks staff — from lifeguards to filter plant operators, maintenance workers, Parks Enforcement Patrol, and everyone in between — who worked hard every day to keep our pools and beaches open, clean, and safe for the enjoyment of New Yorkers and visitors alike.”

“The collaborative efforts of all city agencies are crucial in educating, informing, and ensuring the safety of New Yorkers during the summer at our beaches and pools,” said Interim NYPD Commissioner Thomas G. Donlon. “I am proud of every NYPD officer who contributed this year, from our Harbor Unit members scanning the shorelines to our EMS-trained drone team keeping a vigilant watch for distressed swimmers and detecting any sharks that may come too close to our beaches. Public safety is a shared responsibility and we are committed to fulfilling our role.”

“Protecting New York City’s shoreline is critically important to the FDNY’s mission — on the water by boat, or on the shores with our EMTs and paramedics,” said FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker. “I am grateful for the hard work and quick-thinking of our members, who showed up to help New Yorkers enjoying the beach when they needed it most. Congratulations on a job well done.”

“As New Yorkers beat the heat this summer by enjoying their favorite beach, we were proud to provide aerial surveillance with our drone program to NYC Parks. With the Drone Task Force, we collaborated on shark sightings in the Rockaways and were available for any water rescues and other water emergencies to keep New Yorkers safe and informed,” said NYCEM Commissioner Zach Iscol. “We are very proud to make this technology available to NYC Parks and assist with their summer safety operations. Collaborating with other public safety agencies is key to keeping New Yorkers informed and prepared.”

Earlier this year, the Adams administration took strong steps to combat a nationwide lifeguard shortage and ensure that as many of New York City’s pools and beaches were open for safe swimming as possible this summer. In late May, an arbitration panel issued an award in the city's ongoing negotiations with the bargaining unit representing city lifeguards that will functionally pave the way for the city to be able to hire more lifeguards, allow more swimming capacity at beaches and pools over the coming summers, and improve operations of the city lifeguard program. Among other things, the award allowed the city to modify the qualification for lifeguards assigned to shallow water pools and modernize the vision requirements to be more in line with state regulations and industry standards. This builds on the city's agreement with District Council 37 (DC37) earlier this year to permanently improve the pay of city lifeguards to $22 per hour as of this summer, along with providing returning lifeguards with a $1,000 per year bonus. NYC Parks also doubled the number of qualifying test sites and launched a marketing campaign featuring the city’s own lifeguards. These efforts proved successful, as 560 new recruits passed the qualifying exam — a 30 percent increase from 2023. A total of 930 lifeguards served this summer, a nearly 10 percent increase in the number of lifeguards patrolling beaches and pools last year.

At the start of pool season, Mayor Adams and Commissioner Donoghue launched “Let’s Swim NYC,” a more than $1 billion capital investment in building, improving, and protecting New York City’s public pools over the course of five years. This funding marks the city’s highest period of investment in swimming infrastructure since the 1970s. Through Let’s Swim NYC, the city is bringing needed funding to 39 pools, including building two brand new indoor pools and fully renovating three additional pools. The historic investment is expanding safe water access throughout the five boroughs, promoting public safety, and helping more New Yorkers learn life-saving water safety skills.

Other pool and beach highlights the Adams administration achieved this summer season included: